


5 times Esteban and George were confused about the state of their relationship and one time they knew fully.

by Scottiedog17



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, Esteban and Lance's relationship is on the rocks, Esteban is confused, George has confusing feelings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 12:42:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29759802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scottiedog17/pseuds/Scottiedog17
Summary: The five times over the course of the 2020 season that Esteban and George figured out what their relationship was, and the one time where they were certain about it.
Relationships: Esteban Ocon/George Russell, Esteban Ocon/Lance Stroll (mentioned)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	5 times Esteban and George were confused about the state of their relationship and one time they knew fully.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone,  
> I hope all of you are doing well. So after reading some articles in which Toto Wolff said that George and Esteban are likely to be future Mercedes drivers and I ran with it, and this happened. It's a little different from what I usually write, but I had fun writing it. Also, I think Esteban and George have such potential as being a good pairing. I've also given the 5 +1 trope a go as well. Also, I love Lance and Esteban as a pairing; it's just that it works as a good past paring for this fic.  
> This is a work of fiction, separate from real life and should stay on AO3  
> I hope you all enjoy  
> Scottie Dog  
> Xx

Relationships.

George always thought they were a funny thing, mostly his and Esteban's relationship. It was hard to explain it; he knew where he stood within his family, friendships, and even people within the racing world. Esteban, however, was different. He'd met Esteban at the age of 15 when he'd joined the Mercedes academy. He'd been unsure about the lanky looking 17-year-old who also was a member of the academy. He even had gotten the sense that Esteban had also been uncertain about George. This kid was coming in, and maybe being on the road to knocking him off the Mercedes perch. Toto had been pretty clear in making sure that the pair of them knew that neither of them was the favourite, both were equal, and after all, there were two seats and the pair both had a shot. Even with all that reinforcement, it still was undeniable that the pair were still slightly unsure about the other and wanted to make sure they knew where they stood. It had been reasonably straightforward, Esteban always being a few steps ahead of George in his career. Esteban had made his F1 debut in 2016 whilst George was working his way up the junior series. It remained like that until 2019. George had gotten his Williams seat whilst Esteban had been 'relegated' to the Mercedes test driver, which understandably been a bit of a blow. Esteban then had managed to get a spot at Renault for two years in 2020 whilst George had three years with Williams. 

The other important thing to note was that the pair were very aware that both their contracts ended at the end of 2021, meaning that they could get a Mercedes seat, especially seeing as Lewis only had a one year contract. It was clear that Valtteri's future was a little uncertain with the team. It was a strange feeling as usually, George would have respect for his teammate or fellow academy member. However, he had no idea where he stood with Esteban, it had turned into a lot of musical chair mind games, and George was determined to come out on top. He, however, knew that Esteban had the same mindset and was going to fight just as hard. Still, it was strange because there had been few moments this season where he'd found himself making out with Esteban, both breaking their COVID bubbles a few times. It seemed that they were drawn to each other, a strange concoction of lust, want, and a shared sense of expectation to perform.

* * *

  1. _Belgium- August_



"Hey, can I hang out with you? It just, well, I suppose you can imagine. Also, I'm really sorry about your crash."

George was surprised to see Esteban standing in front of his hotel door. He looked tired and clearly drained, but George could understand that. It had been a stressful day, bringing up some horrible memories from last year.

"Yeah, sure. Come on in."

"Thanks, it just I figured you might be a good person to hang out with."

Esteban sighed as he slowly made his way into George's hotel room. Technically they weren't breaking any of the COIVD rules, seeing as many of the teams, including Renault and Williams, stayed in the same hotel. It was just more straightforward, and they were able to keep track of everyone and all the fun stuff to do with COIVD.

"I don't want to sound like an arsehole or anything, but why me?"

"What do you mean?"

Esteban asked as he slowly sat down on George's bed, looking at George as he made his way to sit beside Esteban. An awkward silence falling between the two.

"I fought with Lance, well, an argument, I suppose. I don't want to face him, not right now anyway. I don't know, I couldn't think of anyone else really, and I just thought you'd be a good person to come to."

"Nah, that's understandable. I'm happy if you want to hang out with me. I'm not really doing anything crazy. Well, I suppose we can't really."

George laughed again, which made Esteban give another laugh, a little brighter than a few minutes ago.

"Would you mind if I let out the potential cracks in my relationship?"

"Go ahead."

"Before, though, can I ask about your relationships in the past?"

"Sure, I mean, I'm single at the moment, broke up with the girlfriend not that long ago."

"Oh."

"Yeah, I don't think the pair of us were meant to be together. I don't know. It just didn't really work out, though. Like it wasn't on bad terms or anything. I think we just both figured out that it wasn't for us. Oh, and I'm bi before you ask. Plus, yes, I might have made out with Alex once or twice."

"I once snogged Pierre, but that was years ago; I don't think either of us likes to remember that one."

Esteban laughed again, giving a small sigh also, before George reached over to give Esteban's shoulder a squeeze, which seemed to help Esteban, who took a deep breath, resting his hands in his lap.

"I don't know, it's just we started to get a bit stressed about a few things, and we've started having a few arguments. Nothing terrible, it's all just trivial in the grand scheme of things, yet I have this horrible feeling in my gut about the whole thing. I feel like such a horrible boyfriend. I should be with Lance, and yet here I'm am, talking to my potential Mercedes future teammate, sort of rival."

Esteban laughed again, bending over a little before George reached over and carefully wrapped his arms around Esteban's shoulders and back before he could feel Esteban move into him, clearly desperate for some form of human contact.

"It'll be okay. I think you just need to talk with him. However, I'm always happy if you want to come and talk to me."

"You mean that?"

"Yeah, I'm thrilled with that; it's fine."

"Thanks. You know it just all bubbles up sometimes."

Esteban looked up with a small smile. Still a little weak before the pair shifted so Esteban could rest his head properly on George's shoulder, rubbing his shoulder. The pair stayed in silence for a few minutes before Esteban tilted his head again to look at George with a small smile,

"How are you, anyway? I mean, that crash looked nasty."

George then gave a similar small laugh,

"Yeah, I'm alright. Still a little shaken up, but the main thing is both myself and Antonio are alright. I guess it's just triggered a few thoughts which I don't think are ever going to go away."

George gave another laugh before Esteban carefully moved his arm to wrap his arm around George's shoulders, George not resisting and instead of shuffling a little closer. Hence, there was no longer any form of distance between the two. A weird understanding falling between the two before the pair turned to look at each other, their faces slowly making their way forward to each other, so they were now inches apart.

"Can I kiss you?"

Esteban asked, which slowly made George nod. There was nothing to lose, so George slowly muttered a small yes, which caused Esteban to press his lips to George's lips which caused George to kiss back, the two starting to become desperate, George wrapping his arms around Esteban's neck, Esteban carefully pulling George forward so he could wrap his legs around his waist, the two connected, wrapping their arms around each other, so starved of human contact, they became like hungry animals. They stayed like that for a while, the two tightly attached, before they broke apart for air, resting their foreheads against each other, breathing heavily, their arms still tightly wrapped around each other.

"So"

George laughed, his lips slightly swollen and a little red in the face. Esteban also laughed, looking similar to George.

"Yeah. Anyway, I'd better go. I don't want either of us to get into trouble."

Esteban said as the pair slowly detached themselves from each other.

"Okay, sure."

George gave a smile as he watched Esteban walk out of George's hotel room. Leaving George sitting there on the bed, still thinking about what just had happened.

* * *

_2\. Italy- September_

It turned out that the moment that George had shared with Esteban hadn't been a one-off which George had thought it would have been. He had decided that he was just going to get along with racing, pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind because it seemed that the relationship between Esteban and Lance seemed to be okay, and George didn't want to disrupt that. He was alright if the thing between him and Esteban had only been a one-time thing. However, he was proven incorrect as a slightly nervy looking Esteban greeted him in the paddock after the race.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Not the best. Can I met you later?"

"Shouldn't you be celebrating with Lance?"

"I should, but it's just complicated."

"Okay."

"Thank you."

Esteban smiled again, which made George give another nod, still vaguely confused about what the hell was going on with the seemingly confusing mess that was Esteban and Lance's relationship. So he didn't push it, his subconscious Britishness not wanting to get involved with it all. Instead, he went through with all the interviews, the race debriefs and everything else. So it didn't surprise him when he heard a knock on his hotel door. Esteban was standing there, interestingly not in his Renault gear, just a simple pair of trackies and a t-shirt, similar to George. The pair of them wanting to kid themselves that they were just average 22 and 24 years old who were just meeting in their hotel room. They both knew that was a big fat lie, but neither of them seemed to mind that much.

"So care to tell me, what's up?"

George asked as Esteban came into the room and sat down on the bed whilst George came to sit beside him, rested his head onto George's shoulder, and gently took George's hand, seeming to help. George staying quiet and just letting Esteban talk,

"I care about him honestly, I do, but I can't help but feel COVID has just put this strain on our relationship. It just feels so forced now, like it wasn't before. I think it would be a good idea if we parted ways. I don't know; it just seems to make sense in my mind."

"I mean, if you think it would be best."

"Thanks, I feel like it would be a good idea cause I want to stay on good terms with him, and I think if we carry on in this relationship, it'll get nasty, and I don't want to damage our relationship even more. Does that make sense?"

Esteban asked, looking up at George, who gave a small nod.

"Yeah, it does; I mean, it's your and Lance's relationship, and it's your decision. I mean, I can't tell you exactly what to do, but I'm happy if you need somebody to rant to."

George smiled, which caused Esteban to laugh softly.

"Thanks, I enjoyed last time, even if I had a bit of a guilty conscious after it. I never thought I enjoy it."

Esteban sighed again, which made George nod also,

"I wouldn't help it by saying I enjoyed it as well."

George sighed with a smile which made Esteban laugh as well,

"I don't see you as the type of guy to enjoy the odd hookup."

"Yeah, I wouldn't say I'm a totally innocent guy."

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not."

George laughed, which make Esteban laughed as well, before the two looked at each other, their faces starting to get close to each other again.

"Can I kiss you again?"

Esteban asked again before George nodded again, closing the distance between the two of them.

* * *

3. _Eifel- October_

After Italy, George and Esteban's relationship became a little strange. Sure they'd made out a few times, but they'd never really looked into it, which was likely wasn't the best. So it wasn't that surprising that George was expecting the familiar knock after the GP. He knew Esteban wasn't feeling the best, seeing as Dan had gotten Renault's first podium and all the celebrations in the garage at been aimed at Dan. So no wonder Esteban was feeling a bit down.

"Hey, I'm guessing that you don't feel fantastic."

George sighed, which made Esteban nod as he came in.

"Yeah, I guess you can imagine why. Also, I broke up with Lance. I feel so bad, but it feels like there is a weight off my shoulders. I still feel so horrible about it all. Plus, Dan winning a podium hasn't really helped my mood. I thought you'd be a good person to come to, especially seeing with the way our relationship is going."

Esteban sighed, which made George nod. He had to agree with that; he wasn't really sure how to describe their relationship. It wasn't exactly friends with benefits, but it was falling along those lines; he also would admit to himself that he might have slightly romantic feelings towards his potential future Mercedes teammate, which was a strange thing to think about. Then again, F1 wasn't exactly the most normal of things and a unique work environment. Many things weren't seen as being normal behaviour, and both George and Esteban knew that. Neither of them seemed to care that as Esteban shoved George up against the hotel room wall, George wrapping his arms around Esteban's shoulders and legs around his waist. The pair pressing their lips together, Esteban seeming not to hold back now that he was a single man now. 

* * *

_4\. Emilia Romagna- November_

It seemed the hazy night in Germany appeared to have an effect on George and Esteban's relationship. The pair had exchanged numbers and texted each other a bit more; it became clear that they were started to hang out a little more with each other, still, both refusing to acknowledge what the hell was going on with their relationship. They were pretty quiet about what was going on because they didn't want anyone to know, to not deal with the strange looks that they knew they would have because Russell and Ocon wasn't exactly a couple that people would think about. Plus, it was still clear that there was some level of awkwardness between Esteban and Lance, the understandable reason for a spilt. Nobody apart from George knew why the pair had split, and he wasn't going to tell anyone because that wasn't fair. He also wasn't going to tell anyone about his and his Mercedes academy counterpart's ill-advised hookups, which were now starting to involve some feelings. It was funny because George knew deep down, he might want to be with Esteban. He felt stronger feelings now, not feelings of friendship that he felt towards Alex or Lando. The only other issue was that he couldn't tell anyone about this because he knew that he and Esteban were the only ones who could deal with this.

So it made sense as to why he was the one who had found himself standing in front of Esteban's hotel door after the end of the GP.

"Hey, this is a change of things. Come here, its only one race."

Esteban whispered as he held out his hand for George, who took it and was pulled into the hotel room. Esteban proceeding to wrap his arms around George's waist and pulling him forward so the pair could hug properly, not one of those awkward side ones. George could then feel Esteban stroking his hair whilst he was whispering what sounded like French words of affection, clearly trying to stop George from beating himself up. The pair stayed like that for a few minutes before George lifted his head and looked straight into Esteban's eyes.

"These things happen, don't beat yourself up about it. You'll be flying through the points before you know it."

Esteban whispered softly, stroking the side of George's face, which caused George to nod slowly.

"You sure?"

"I'm very sure; I mean, I'm sure everyone up in the top 5 has made many mistakes."

Esteban whispered as well before George nodded again before pressing his lips to George's, who willingly accepted it, allowing Esteban to take his mind off the crash. He was undoubtedly falling deep with his feelings about the guy who he was kissing.

* * *

  1. _Sakhir- December_



"Hey, come here."

George was greeted by Esteban, giving a soft smile when he opened his hotel room door and opened his arms before George crashed forward into his arms, resting his head on Esteban's shoulder. Crying softly whilst Esteban rubbed his fingers through George's hair and rotated them, so they were both instead his hotel room, kicking the door shut, hearing it lock, allowing them some privacy.

"You are amazing, and I want you to understand that you will be standing on that podium before you know it."

Esteban whispered again, his hand resting on the back of George's head, softly whispering more soft words of French, whilst he could feel the other man's body shaking with sobs.

"I'm sorry, you did well, winning your first podium."

George whispered, his head still resting on the older man's shoulder,

"Don't be; it's totally natural. Also, it wasn't as bad standing on the podium with not only your old teammate but also your ex-boyfriend, who you broke up with a month ago. You should have been up there, though."

"Thanks, you did really well, though. I'd like it if I was up on the podium with you. That would be fun. Show Toto that we would be the perfect Mercedes future dream team."

George laughed softly, which also made Esteban laugh before the pair looked up at each other. The pair were resting their heads together before George pressed his lips to Esteban, who willingly accepted the pair slotting together again. George knew that it would likely take a while for Esteban to want to start dating because he knew it would take a hot minute or two for Esteban to fling himself into a new relationship, especially seeing that the breakup with Lance was clearly affecting him. After all, they had been together for two years.

However, he was willing to wait until Esteban wanted to start dating again because he could tell from the way that the other man was kissing him that he felt the same way, either if he never said anything. They seemed to understand how they felt about each other in this weird world of F1.

* * *

_+1. 2023_

"So seems that we are the Mercedes boyfriends after all then."

George laughed from where he was standing at the kitchen island in his and Esteban's flat to see Esteban walking into the kitchen wearing the Mercedes 2023 team shirt, mirroring his own.

"Looking good there. Now I would just like to remind you, I will be beating you in the races."

George laughed as Esteban walked over to him before wrapping his arms around his boyfriend's neck. The pair had never really thought they'd end up together, but here they were, standing in their shared flat, in their matching Mercedes team gear, laughing slowly swaying in the kitchen.

"Oh please, I'll be standing on that top podium before you know it."

Esteban laughed again before he pressed his lips against George's, both of them laughing.

The pair also refused to let go of each other's hands in the paddock but carefully hidden, so the media didn't pick up on it, but in the garage, they were glued to each other's sides. It seemed to make everyone laugh, George and Esteban being one of those unlikely yet perfect couples. The pair also were very competitive, which worked out well for the team; both guys were determined to prove themselves; after all, George was only in his second year at the team anyway. It even worked out well; the pair's parents liked each of their sons' partners.

"So ready to go then?"

George laughed as he and Esteban were standing in the garage, just before the start of the race. Both in their race suits, gloves, all ready to go and head to their own sides of the garage.

"Yeah."

Esteban laughed before pressing a quick kiss to George's lips before patting him on the back as he headed to his side of the garage. George laughed before he pulled his balaclava and earphones in and pulled on his hans device and his helmet, climbing into the car with a small smile.

"See, I told you that I would stay on the top spot."

George laughed as both he and Esteban made their way back in the Mercedes garage, covered in champagne with their first and second trophies in their hands, their arms wrapped around each other's waists as well. It had surprised each other how touchy they were with each other and how happy they were to show it.

"Hey"

The two turned their heads to see Lance making his way over with a small smile; he'd finished in 4, which as much as Esteban hated to admit it, he was relieved about it. Sharing the podium with his current boyfriend of two years and his ex-boyfriend also of two years still was a little bit of an awkward concept to him, even if Lance and George were totally cool with each other.

"Hey"

George gave a small smile whilst Esteban nodded,

"Well done for first and second. Second, pretty good for a season starter with a new team, Esteban."

Lance smiled, which made George nod. Both of them got on pretty well with each other.

"It would have been nice if you had gotten third place, though."

Esteban found himself saying with a surprising smile, making Lance laugh.

"Yeah, but fourth is pretty good based on what happened with Aston Martin. Trust me, though; I'll be up on that podium before you know it."

Lance laughed again, which made Esteban nod also,

"Yeah. I suppose so."

"Anyway, I'd better leave you guys to it. I said I'd go and find Sara."

Lance gave another smile before giving both George and Esteban a one-sided shoulder hug before heading back towards the Aston Martin garage.

"Seems like we're working on that issue."

George laughed, which made Esteban laugh as well,

"Yeah, seems we are. Plus, he and Sara make a good couple ."

Esteban smiled again before George nodded with a smile pressing a kiss to his cheek, not seeming to mind that he was still sweaty and covered in champagne.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it, and let me know if you would want to read more of this.  
> My Tumblr is @dyspraxic-fantasic, so feel free to come and say hello.


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